Transitional mechanism for car couplers



TRANSITIONAL MECHANISM FOR CAR COUFLERS Filed Jan. 5. 1,924

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Nov. 2, 1926. 1,605,414

J.. WILLISON TRANSITIONAL MECHANISM FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed Jan. 5- 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 l l I N 1 i INVENTOR Q1 W W I u Q BY 'b 4 u 126% I 1 I ATroR EY Nov. 2 1926.

J. WlLLlSON v TRANSITIONAL MECHANISM FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed Jan. 5- 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet I IN VENTOR Wm BY ATTORSEY Nov. 2 1926.-

J. WILLISON TRANSITIONAL MECHANISM FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed Jan. 5. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INYENTOR W m2 BY, WW

ATTOR EY Patented Nov. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WILLISON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'IO NATIONAL MALLEABLE AND STEEL GASTINGSCOMPANY; OF CLEVELAND; OHIO, A GGRl-OBATION OF OHIQ.

TRANSITIONAL MECHANISM FOR CAR COUPLERS.

Application filed January 5, 1924. Serial No. 684,581.

eration of thecentering device under pulling stresses; Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective View of the draft cast1ng; Fig. 5 1s an enlarged perspectlve vlew of the yoke member;

' and Fig. 6 is a plan of a modified form of my invention in which a link or barjconn'ection is shown between the transition hook and the pocket casting. I y This invention relates to transitional coupling mechanism and is particularly designed to provide means for perniitti-ng'cars equipped with automatic couplers to be coupled with cars equipped with couplers of other types such as of the draw hook and side buffer type. To this end a transitional orsupplemental coupling device is provided which is attached to the pivotal connection upon which the automatic coupler is mounted and is so arranged that either the transitional device or the automatic coupler may me easily swung into and out ofoperative position, and thereby be ready for coupling with an automatic coupler of the same type or with a draw hook arrangement or other form of coupler. By the improved arrangement the transitional device is at all times in a position to the rear of the bufiing face'of the automatic coupler head and hence is not liable to injury during buffing.

The automatic coupler and the transitional device are so pivoted to a draft gear that the draft on one will automatically move the other to one side to a noninterfering position and when the transitional device is not in use the automatic couplerwill be returned to coupling position. My invention also comprises the various features which I shall hereinafter describe'a'nd claim.

Referring to the drawings, Qindic'ates an automatic coupler of the rigid jawed type such as is described in my Patent No. 1,201,665 dated October 17, 1916, the rearwardly extending shank 8 of which has near,

its rear end a vertically extending'elo'n'gated slot 4:. Thecoupler 2-is 'secured te the draft casting 5 by the pivot pin 6, the ends of which, extend above and below the horizontal portions of the casting 5 for a purpose which will be later described.

The draft casting 5 on its rear side bears against the forward side of a transversely extending member 7 which forms a part of the underframing of the car. Pivotally attached to the casting 5 are spring bolts 8 which extends rearwardly through the memher 7. Springs 9 carried by the bolts 8 abut at their rear ends against washers 10,'and at their forward ends against a buffing casting 11. The buffing casting 11 bears against the rear sideof the transversemember and has a central projection 12 extending forwardly through openings 13 and 14, respectively, in the member 7 and in the casting 5. The central projection 12 forms a bufling hearing for the rear end of the coupler shank 3 and transmits buffing stresses from the shank 3 through the bufling casting 11 Y to the springs 9. Under draft the coupler pulls the draft casting 5 forwardly and the draft stresses are carried back through the bolts 8 to be taken up by the springs 9. In buffing, the coupler'shank 3 moves rearwardly independently of the draft casting 5 and drives the buiiing casting 11 rearwardly against the resistance of the springs 9.

The transmission member is comprised of a couplinghook 15 which at its rear end is pivoted by a pin 16 to two forwardly extendingcars 17 of the link or yoke-shaped member 18. The rear end of the yokeshaped member 18 terminates in the rear projections 19, which extend over the top and beneath the draft casting 5- so as to straddle that casting, and are secured upon the ends of the pivot pin 6. The draft casting 5 has lips 20 which extend over the ends of theprojections 19 when these projections are in place upon the pivot pin so as'to prevent the spreadingof such projections when the transitionaldevice is under draft. i

Extending through the elongated slot 1. i thejcoupler sha k is a pin 21 Which is attached to forwardly extending horizontal portions of the sdraftcastingh and forms a stop which limitsthe normal lateral move: ment of the automatic coupler. The width of'the "pin 21 in relation'to the width of the slot I4 is such that it contacts with one side or t heothercf the slot when'th'e' coupler has swung to the limit of its automatic coupling range. hen the automatic coupler 2 is forced to either side beyond this range, either by the action of draft upon the hook 15 or by the action of another automatic coupler intercoupled with the coupler 2 on extreme conditions of track curvature, the coupler shank 3, because of the contact of a wall of the slot 4 with the pin or stop member 21, acts to tip the entire draft casting 5 to one side or the other, as is shown in Fig. 3, about one of its rear cormore and compress the springs 9. hen this stress has abated, the springs 9 will tend to bring the coupler back to a point within its coupling range. The transition hook 15 is so arranged that it projects a minimum dis tance in front of the carrier casting 2.2. It is preferably arranged so that there is just room to slip the shackle 23 of a standard screw coupling 24 attached to an opposing car 25 into the hook 15, so that when the transition member is under draft the hook 15 will swing in the direction of the automatic coupler 2, and'because of the curvature of the forward face of the carrier casting 22 and the location of the pin 16 the opening into the hook 15 will swing laterally under the top surface of the carrier casting and thus prevent the shackle of the screw coupling from becoming unhooked in case of momentary slackening of the draft. The usual buffers are indicated at 26.

The vertically extending part of the yoke member 18 is arranged to have a bearing on the side of the coupler shank 3 and thus spaces the transition member 15 and coupler shank 3 a minimum distance apart, so that when the transitional member 15 is in use the automatic coupler 2 will not interfere with its operation. By reason of this bearing of the yoke member 18 upon the side of the coupler shank 3, the coupler shank 3 will move the transitional member 15 out'of the way when the automatic coupler 2 is used, and the yoke member 18 by its engagement with the side of the coupler shank will move the coupler out of the way when the transitional member is being used.

In the modified form of transitional mechanism shown in Fig. 6, the transitional member 27 terminates at its rear end in the bosses 28, which are secured to the forward end of the link or bar 30 by a connecting pin 29. The link 28 in turn at its rear end seats in a horizontal slot 31 in the rear end of the coupler shank 3 and is secured therein by the pivot pin 6 by which the coupler shank 3 is attached to the draft casting 5. To prevent possible injury to the rear end of the link 30 and provide the rear end of the coupler shank With suflicient strength in are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any mechanical equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, it being recognized that various structural modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In coupling mechanism, unlike couplers each having a connection with a railway vehicle through acommon pivot pin, each coupler, when intercoupled with a coupler on another car, being arranged to maintain automatically the other coupler in inoperative position, one of'the couplers comprising a plurality of pivotally connected parts.

2. In coupler mechanism, unlike couplers, one being an automatic coupler, each having a connection with a draft member mounted on a railway vehicle through a common vertically disposed pivot pin for movement in a horizontal plane, the said automatic coupler having an elongated slot in the shank thereof, a pin of appreciably less width than the slot being arranged to limit the normal lateral. movement of one of said couplers in one direction and the other of said couplers in both directions.

8. In coupler mechanism, unlike couplers attached to a common pivot pin, a draft member in which the pivot pin is mounted, spring mechanism connected to the draft member havin a bearing on a frame of a railway vehici e, means for permitting a limited normal lateral movement of said couplers when either is coupled to an opposing car, said draft member and spring mechanism being arranged to permit either coupler to be'swung laterally beyond normal limits of movement and to return the said coupler automatically within such normal limits.

4. In coupler mechanism, unlike couplers attached to a common pivot pin, a draft member in which the pivot pin is mounted, a bufiing member upon which a shank of one of the couplers and the spring mechanism have bearings, and means interposed between draft and buifing members for rendering the I draft member immovable in bufling and the buifing member immovable in draft, the said draft mechanism being operative when either coupler is in use, the bufiing mechanism beingoperative only when one of said couplers is in use.

5. In coupler mechanism, an automatic coupler and a coupler of the hook type secured to a railway vehicle through a common pivot pin, a carrier casting forming a support for both couplers and providing a means for holding a link of an opposing coupling in the hook coupler to prevent disengagement therefrom.

6. In a coupler mechanism, an automatic coupler secured to a railway car through a pivot pin, a hook coupler arranged substantially in parallel with the automatic coupler and a draft link connecting the hook conpler with the pivot pin, each of the said couplers being arranged to connect with a corresponding coupler on an opposing car and each being displaced laterally when the other is in use.

7. In-coupler mechanism, an automatic coupler secured to a railway car through a pivot pin, a hook coupler arranged atone side of the automatic coupler and connected to the pivot pin through a draft link, and means for spacing apart the said couplers to prevent interference therebetween when either is in use, said means comprising an intermediate link between one of said couplers and the pivot pin, said link having a bearing on the other coupler.

JOHN WILLISON. 

